Megan's Law has its merits

AP Photo/Mike DererMaureen Kanka, mother of Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old girl who was raped and murdered by a convicted sex offender.

A new study concludes that Megan's Law, which requires communities be notified when convicted sex offenders move in, does not deter those offenders from committing new crimes.

The federally funded research by the Department of Corrections and Rutgers University, which focused on the cases of 550 sex offenders in New Jersey, found Megan's Law has had no direct impact on sexual offense rates since its passage 15 years ago.

The study also suggests the cost of carrying out the law -- estimated at $5.1 million in 2007 -- "may not be justifiable."

The finding is disappointing to those who hoped Megan's Law would make children safer. And cost is always a valid concern. The primary purpose of the law, however, is not to alter the behavior of sex offenders, but to arm the public with information about the whereabouts of potentially dangerous predators.

The law is named for Megan Kanka, a 7-year-old Hamilton Township girl killed in 1994 at the home of a neighborhood man twice convicted of sexually assaulting young girls. It requires convicted sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences to register their addresses with police and notify authorities if they move. For those offenders who are considered likely to commit new crimes, notification extends to schools, youth group leaders and other organizations. Neighbors are informed of the presence of those deemed to pose the greatest risk. The highest-risk and many of the moderate-risk offenders are also listed in an online registry operated by the State Police.

There are shortcomings. There are inconsistencies in the way offenders are categorized. Civil liberties groups contend the law is punitive and makes it hard for people who return to society after doing their time to find work and housing and build stable lives. They cite the new study and similar findings in other states as reason to abandon Megan's Law.

But the law has been useful in helping local law enforcement keep track of sex offenders. In Morris County, for example, two sex offenders were charged under the law last week after failing to report their new addresses to law enforcement officials. As Megan's mother, Maureen Kanka, said this week, the law's real purpose was "to provide an awareness to parents."

And while the new study said there is "little evidence" that the law prevents new or repeat sex offenses, it didn't entirely rule out the possibility that it has. It said there has been an "accelerated" decline in sex crimes since Megan's Law passed, and said its registration and reporting requirements might be a factor.

It was never realistic to think Megan's Law would prevent sexual assaults against children, but it would be unwise to do away with it because that high expectation was not met.